In making various food products, such as tortillas, doughballs are typically flattened by a press unit. The doughballs are generally moved on a conveyor belt in the press unit. The conveyor belt pauses as the press platen moves down to flatten the doughballs. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,905,581; 5,231,919 and U.S. Pat. No. Reissue 34,530, incorporated herein by reference.
To prevent the platen surface from sticking to the doughballs, a non-stick platen cover such as Teflon cover has been used. The platen cover is removably attached to the press platen. However, platen covers rapidly wear out under the heat and pressure conditions involved. Further, even when not fully worn out, the platen cover can develop defective areas or holes. Replacing the platen cover is costly and time consuming, and requires that the press stop operation, causing lost production time.
Accordingly, there remains a need for an improved press that allows for rapid, efficient changeover of the cover surface. Similarly, there is a need for a press which can operate automatically for longer periods of time without the need to manually remove and replace the platen cover.